UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion

Hi!

I've finished my first draft of my first book and I'm a little bit stumped on what I need to do next. I know there are some fab authors in here so I was hoping to pick your brains please

I know before it gets near publishing I need to proof read it and edit things that need changing. I've got a cover draft as well that I think I'm going to use. My Mum's going to read it over Christmas as a second pair of eyes.

I know I'll probably need to find a beta reader or two. But is there a recommended number to use?

It's about 30,000 words at the moment which I believe is a little short for a novel so I'm guessing self publishing is the best option, does anyone have any suggestions for resourses to use to find out how to do that please?

And any other tips would be very much appreciated please :)

Thank you!!

30k is fine. But so is 3k. Don't worry about the length.

Once I've finished a story I tend to leave it alone for at least a month so I can forget it.

Then I go through it about seven times making changes as necessary.

That's when I ask for beta readers.

I tend to get up to 12 people volunteering to take part, with maybe half that number actually going through with it.

I self publish on Smashwords and Amazon. Smashwords has a style guide thing that you can follow to ensure your document converts to ebook files properly.

One problem with writing circles is that they can often contain people who want to rewrite your book in their image.
If you can find one, try it, but don't mention the current book, work with them on trying your next.

At the same time I'd forget your book for three months. Don't even look at it. When you come back to it, it's almost be new to you and you'll spot a lot more.

30K in the world of kindle isn't a bad size. The Tallis Steelyard collections are about that

30k is a decent novella. Ask here for beta readers. When you're ready I'll have a go.

Wow Claire! Congrats on writing the story!

Notice how none of us have said, "sit back and watch the money roll in"
:-)

Actually now is the time to start interacting with those groups on facebook etc which discuss your genre
Don't mention the book, just join in discussions and contribute, so that when you do publish it, people know you

Self-publishing with Kindle Direct Publishing is so straightforward that when I was walking through the process to see what was involved I had published my manuscript at the end of my walk-through!

David wrote: "Self-publishing with Kindle Direct Publishing is so straightforward that when I was walking through the process to see what was involved I had published my manuscript at the end of my walk-through!"

yes, you have to give it to Amazon, they've made that bit remarkably user-friendly

Thank you all for the advice :)

I'm going to leave it for a little while anyway, I have two essays due in in January so I won't be looking at it again until the beginning of February, which will be about 2 months since I finished it. The only thing I've done since I finished it was compile it together so my Mum can read it and make sure that all the 'Brenna's had become 'Breanna' (because apparently I changed the spelling halfway through! And changed the island's name!).

I'm not quite sure what genre it fits into, it's definitely not crime, sci-fi, history or romance, I don't think it fits fantasy, or mystery! I am part of a discord group in the North East that I joined during NaNo and which continues all year, which is probably as close to a writing circle as I'll get at the moment.

I'm glad to hear Kindle Direct isn't to difficult to use :)

Kath wrote: "30k is a decent novella. Ask here for beta readers. When you're ready I'll have a go."

Thank you very much Kath :)

Patti (baconater) wrote: "Wow Claire! Congrats on writing the story!"

Thank you Patti :)

Jim wrote: "Notice how none of us have said, "sit back and watch the money roll in"
:-)"

Haha, yes, I've got the impression that it's not something I want to quit my day job for any time soon! It may sound odd but I'm less concerned about how much I'll make off it (although selling a copy or two would be amazing!) but more that I've always wanted to finish and publish a book.

✿Claire✿ wrote: "Haha, yes, I've got the impression that it's not something I want to quit my day job for any time soon!"

Caitlin Moran wrote that she realised she had to become a journalist after the book she published as a precocious teenager garnered a £1,500 advance. There are more than a quarter of a million writers registered on Goodreads. Out of more than 70,000 writers known to a major publishing house, fewer than 2,000 have sold more than 10,000 copies over their entire careers, and only handfuls have sold millions. Someone else in this group calls their blog 'The view from the long tail'. Amazon apparently consider any book that SELLS more than 200 copies a success.

"Many are called, but few are chosen"!

David wrote: "Amazon apparently consider any book that SELLS more than 200 copies a success."

I wonder if that 200 includes e-books or just paper.

J wrote: "I wonder if that 200 includes e-books or just paper."

I understood it to include e-Books, but they had to be paid rather than free downloads. I have been reading that Amazon now ruthlessly cull from their search results anything that hasn't crossed this threshold after 3 months. After this, pretty much the only traffic going to your Amazon Sales Page will be traffic you (or your publisher, chance would be a fine thing) have driven there yourself.

David wrote: "Amazon now ruthlessly cull from their search results anything that hasn't crossed this threshold after 3 months. "

Ah, so there's a time limit, too. Interesting.

Much to my surprise I've sold 536 of my self published novellas and the best hasn't sold a hundred
So I'm definitely not a success

Jim wrote: "Much to my surprise I've sold 536 of my self published novellas and the best hasn't sold a hundred
So I'm definitely not a success"

I think that would probably put you in the top 4,000. But it is a sobering thought that quotes I received for "Professional Editing" of one book ranged between $5,000 and $10,000. One editor in particular impressed; her latest book had been picked up by a mainstream publisher and had received rave reviews in prestigious publications and the trade press. I followed the 'Amazon Look Inside', and I thought the writing was excellent. But sales inferred from its Amazon Sales Ranking ... zilch. Mega best sellers just somehow articulate the spirit of the age, and if I could bottle it I'd probably be swanning around in Mediterranean Sunshine just now rather than battling English rain.

Anybody who has written anything worthy of putting in front of others is a success in my eyes. Some money would be nice, but I suspect most of us write because we sort of have to, possibly even love doing so.

I'm with all those who say leave it alone and then come back for a second, third, fourth draft. Go over it as many times as it takes until you're changing things back to what you changed them from last time. That's the point where I give up and let it loose on the beta readers.

Happy to help in the beta reading regards as well, but Ignite is definitely your woman so take her up on that for sure.